https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news.atomSoundSoil.com - News2018-12-06T17:49:00-07:00SoundSoil.comhttps://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/dog-urine-killing-your-grass-is-your-lawn-spotty-with-potty-spots-from-spot2018-12-06T17:49:00-07:002019-03-21T15:50:27-06:00Dog urine killing your grass? Is your lawn spotty from Spot's potty-spots?Jeffrey Orme
By understanding what really causes those ugly spots--and by taking the right steps--your lawn can be free from those unsightly brown spots caused by Dog urine damage. Dog urine spots are the result of a high concentration of urea nitrogen. Urea is a byproduct of digesting proteins and is an important part of a dog’s healthy kidney functions. LawMutt can help your lawn win the fight against potty-spots. Learn how...

Yes. It’s possible. By understanding what really causes those ugly spots--and by taking the right steps--your grass can be free from those unsightly brown spots caused by Dog urine damage. Dog urine spots are the result of a high concentration of urea nitrogen. Urea is a byproduct of digesting proteins and is an important part of a dog’s healthy kidney functions.

Urea is a common ingredient found in nitrogen fertilizers. Although nitrogen is essential to having a healthy lawn, dog urine is definitely a case of too much of a good thing.

A healthy lawn is a result of maintaining the right balance between the soil’s ability to metabolize nitrogen within the soil against the amount of nitrogen being sprayed on your lawn by dog urine. Much like balancing a person's intake of food against their amount of physical activity and ability to metabolize that food.

So, Why does dog urine kill the grass anyway?

This can easily be explained with a basic understanding of the simple science behind what is going on. Basically, Urea & Ammonium Nitrogen, when applied in a concentrated amount is absorbed and stored by the plant--kind of like fats and sugars in animals. Like excessive sugars and fats, this type of nitrogen can be harmful to the cell walls of plants and interfere with your lawn’s ability to absorb moisture, resulting in a brown, dead spot--basically, the lawn gets super dehydrated in those areas that are sprayed with dog pee.

Dog urine can also add salt. and in some cases, medications or chemicals are added by the dog urine to the soil that can interfere with your soil’s natural biological processes.

It seems to be a common theme on the internet that dog urine is acidic or has a low pH level and burns the grass. The “burn” spots are the result of the lawn not being able to absorb moisture because of the concentration of urea--your dog’s urine didn’t burn the grass, it starved it of the water/moisture that it needs to flourish. The pH of the urine is not normally a significant factor.

Best and worst practices for preventing dog urine damage.

There are a few management practices that may help minimize the severity of the urine spots in your lawn, and there are others that don’t amount to more than frustration.

Watering the area immediately after your dog urinates will help to dilute the urine so it’s not so concentrated in one area--spread that wealth. Watering in the morning right after your dog does his/her business can help even more... This early morning watering is especially helpful after your dog’s morning urination because the urea will naturally be more concentrated at that time.

Keeping your dog well hydrated will also help to dilute the urea--before your dog sprays it all over your lawn.

Construct an area of mulch or gravel for your dog to urinate and remove from the lawn--in short, train your dog to do its business somewhere else (no, not the neighbor’s yard).

Try different dog foods and treats. Different dog foods will have different types and quality of proteins which can alter your dog’s urea levels in their urine.

Bag and remove your dog’s stools. This will keep it from biodegrading and adding additional nitrogen to the soil--and it’s just good sense--nose sense that is.

Lessen the amount of nitrogen fertilizer that you allow to be applied to areas available your dog. While nitrogen can appear to have a positive effect--even at first in your dog’s part of the yard--too much nitrogen (especially when mixed with urea) can be a severe disruption to your healthy-lawn’s moisture absorption.

Here are some practices that may actually make the problem worse. Yes, worse.

Because the dog urine spots are the direct result of too much urea nitrogen, applying nitrogen-based fertilizers to your lawn to stimulate growth will simply make your brown spot problems worse--much, much worse.

Avoid any treatments that try to buffer acidity in your lawn. Dog urine damage is caused by too much nitrogen that can look like a burn spot but is not normally caused by acidity--remember it’s lack of moisture absorption that causes those brown spots in your lawn.

The amount and concentration of urea is only half the problem. What’s the other half?

When you are trying to manage your dog and its urine spraying on your lawn, and what your trying is not enough, then you may want to consider enhancing your soil’s ability to metabolize those increased amounts of urea nitrogen contained in dog urine--into a more lawn friendly nitrate nitrogen. This process is called the nitrogen cycle, and it’s possible to manage and help it along.

SoundSoil has formulated a soil amendment called LawnMutt that repairs and enhances the nitrogen cycle in your lawn’s home soil, helping to prevent dog urine damage and those unsightly brown spots from menacing your otherwise beautiful lawn.

What are the different types of nitrogen that affect lawn growth or decay?

While Nitrogen is a highly essential nutrient for plant growth, not all nitrogen is created equally. Nitrogen exists in a few different variations or forms. The “Nitrogen Cycle” is your soil's ability to metabolize and convert nitrogen from one form to another. The different forms of nitrogen that affect your lawn’s ability to flourish are:

Urea Nitrogen

Ammonium Nitrogen

Nitrite Nitrogen

Nitrate Nitrogen

The actual differences between these types of nitrogen can get complicated and a little bit confusing--even for experienced landscapers and gardeners. The main thing that you need to remember is this: an excess of urea and ammonium nitrogen will cause cell damage and stress to the lawn, but Nitrate nitrogen is more easily digested by the lawn--and so it will not cause that nasty damage to your lawn that is brought on by concentrations of urea and ammonia.

What is the “Nitrogen Cycle” that occurs in every lawn?

Simply put: the “Nitrogen Cycle” is the natural process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms within your soil.

The nitrogen cycle is a real living ecosystem and will grow or decline, based on the types and amount of nitrogen available and the other conditions in the soil.

Without a healthy population of beneficial nitrifying bacteria, the urea and ammonium can reach toxic levels for the lawn--fast. In the case of dog urine, this results in the easy-to-spot dead spots in your lawn.

How are Fish Aquarium Filters a good example of the Nitrogen Cycle?

Do this: google the Nitrogen Cycle, and you will find a lot of articles about cycling or starting a new fish aquarium. I find these articles to be very informative and a great primer to gaining a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle.

The filters for aquariums use ceramic or plastic rings or spheres that grow bacteria. The water is filtered past this media and the bacteria growing there will change the ammonium nitrogen into a healthier, nitrate nitrogen, that is then removed through water changes or plants that live in the aquarium.

The nitrogen cycle that occurs in your soil is very similar to the process created by those aquarium filters--but in your soil’s case, the bacteria grows on the soil particles.

How does LawnMutt work to bring back your lawn’s natural health and beauty?

Healthy nitrifying bacteria are present in nearly all soil--especially healthy soil. Given the right soil conditions, these bacteria will grow or decline based on the amount and types of nitrogen present in the soil.

There are a number of common soil conditions that will interfere with these healthy biological processes. Some of these conditions could be an excess of soil salts, Herbicides or pesticides or insufficient organic matter to name a few--or simply over-fertilizing.

LawnMutt repairs and resets those unhealthy conditions in the soil back to a natural life-giving healthy soil state, while enhancing the nitrogen cycle within your soil. By repairing the unhealthy conditions and adding beneficial nitrifying bacteria, LawnMutt rebuilds the effectiveness of your soil’s nitrogen cycle and prevents that unsightly urea nitrogen based damage.

How long does it take for LawnMutt to reset your soil’s healthy conditions?

How long does it take? and Will it work for my lawn? Are the two questions that almost every new customer asks. We hear these questions all the time, by all types of folks.

Urine damage to a lawn will stop when the soil’s ability to metabolize the urea from the dog urine is in balance with the amount of urea applied. So those 2 questions become: What will it take to balance the amount of urea being applied to your lawn so that it can begin to metabolize the urea fast enough?

You’re already thinking that the time required will vary for just about every lawn. And you are absolutely correct. The factors involved in this type of soil repair are the amount of urea and ammonium nitrogen stored in the soil from dog urine as well as the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied over the last few months.

Think of it this way. If someone is 200 lbs overweight it will take them longer to reach an ideal weight than someone that is only 10-20 lbs overweight. First, they’ll have to start by metabolizing the excess within, and then they can begin to find the balance between their ability to metabolize foods and their ongoing calorie intake.

As your soil becomes healthier those new urine spots will decrease in size and severity. Most customers see the improvement process start 6-8 weeks after first applying and improving over time with repeated applications of LawnMutt. Eventually, their lawn builds up a strong ability to metabolize the urea, preventing new dog urine spots from forming.

Additional benefits for your lawn by using LawnMutt...

Preventing dog urine damage is just one benefit that you will receive by applying LawnMutt to your lawn’s soil. Biologically healthy soil is essential to having a healthy lawn and garden. LawnMutt is an ideal soil amendment for everyone, even lawn owners without a dog (yes, even if your neighbors don’t have a dog that sneaks over in the wee hours of the night to do its thing).

LawnMutt increases fertilizer conversion, which is a true benefit to every lawn and garden.

Additional factors that can affect the severity of the urine damage caused to your lawn:

Amount of Fertilizer being applied. The biggest factor is the type and amount of fertilizer applied in the last 12 months. Dog urine spots will get worse after fertilizing.

Amount of urine stored in the soil. The more you have, the more you have to mediate. Think of being 200 lbs overweight vs 20 lbs overweight -- which situation will take more work?

Size of the lawn. Small lawns are exposed to a higher concentration of urea than a bigger lawn.

Age of your lawn. New sod is basically a rug layered over the soil for the first few months and needs time to establish a deep healthy root system that is protected from dog urine. That’s right, the root system of sod is initially limited to the depth of the sod--before it was layed down.

The heat of summer. Dog urine spots will get worse in Summer and seem to improve in the cooler months of Spring and Fall. And that makes perfect sense when you understand that dog urine spots are caused by poor moisture absorption--and the Summer heat requires more consistent moisture in your soil and plants. If your lawn cannot rehydrate during the Summer months, it will simply dry out quicker. Basically, your lawn is super thirsty in the Summer, but it can’t swallow the water that you’re giving to it.

The severity of dog urine damage can vary from dog to dog.

It's not uncommon for someone to have one dog that does not significantly damage the lawn but then gets another dog that does damage the lawn. They are different dogs, with different urea levels.

Urea is a byproduct of the dog's body digesting proteins. Every dog's metabolism and activity is different. Genetics, the animals’ diets, and many other factors make this a reality that needs to be considered.

If your dog drinks a lot of water, then the urea will be more diluted and less concentrated.

The health of the dog plays a huge role in its ability to digest proteins. And, If your dog's kidneys aren’t working correctly, it can adversely affect the concentration of urea in your dog’s urine. Bad kidneys, bad lawn spots.

Male dogs seem to do less damage than female dogs based on how they urinate. Male dogs are more likely to urinate on trees, stumps, poles, corners, and walls--whereas females tend to squat down and urinate in a single, flat, concentrated area.

Some medications may also affect the damage caused to your lawn by Fido’s urine habits.

Supplements that you can give to your dog to help control & remediate spotty lawn problems.

Our company specializes in healthy soil products so supplements that you give to your dog either through their food or water are a little out of our wheelhouse. We focus on your soil.

All of our experience with supplements is based on our customers’ comments. I have heard that it may be a good idea to talk to your veterinarian before giving your dog any kind of supplements, as they will affect the natural processes in your pups kidneys.

Generally speaking, it seems like some can help--others not so much. We’ve heard from our customers that some work quite well for some people and their dogs, but don't help at all for others. Many of our customers are concerned about their dog's diet and health and prefer to not give them something that can affect those things. Other people like the convenience of supplements, and are confident that they can be a healthy solution for their dogs and lawns.

Many of our customers have had amazing results by using their favorite supplements when combined with just a few easy applications of LawnMutt.

The value of using LawnMutt is more than just preventing urine damage.

It’s about you having healthy soil to grow plants in. The benefits of applying LawnMutt to your lawn are more than just preventing dog urine damage. By using LawnMutt you can cross two things off your to-do list. With a few easy applications, within a few short months, you can build up your lawn’s resistance to dog urine damage--as well as significantly improve your lawn’s overall health and growth. Let your lawn flourish. Apply LawnMutt to your soil today.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/clay-soil-the-perfect-soil-for-your-garden2018-10-08T11:32:00-06:002019-03-21T15:49:46-06:00Clay Soil—the perfect soil for your garden?Jeffrey Orme
Amending your soil is an easy process, but isn’t going to happen overnight, or even with a single act. It’s going to take time, and the time that it takes to improve clay soil will vary among all lawns and gardens—but, there is a specific soil treatment path that works very well when followed. Ask us about it. We would love to show how it’s done.

New amendments for improving your heavy clay soil...

There are quite a few well-written articles around the web that cover gardening in clay soil.

If you have ever read any of those articles, then you already know that adding compost to heavy clay soil is the primary process to improving that wet & sticky stuff’s ability to grow a healthy lawn and garden. But, why is this? What changes? How does it all work?

What does compost add to your ground that improves clay soil?

Compost breaks down into humus that coats and buffers the clay soil particles and lessens the cohesion between them. It also feeds the bacteria and microorganisms that soften and restructure the clay as well as adding nutrients for new plant growth.

Clay soil problem solved, right? Mix in a little compost and we are good to go. Not always.

To transform a heavy clay soil into a productive growing soil can require A LOT of humus. Because clay is very good at storing all soil elements, both good and bad, it can sometimes not provide the best humus creating environment. One area that your soil can be severely lacking in, is having healthy amounts of the bacteria and soil microorganisms that turn the compost into humus.

There are new liquid soil amendments that can heal and accelerate the humus building processes in clay soil. These amendments add humus directly as well as repair any unproductive conditions in the soil, like high levels of salt, herbicides or a nutrient imbalance.

Let's review some of the clay soil basics.

What is clay soil? All soils are composed of eroded rock. The difference between soils is the size of soil particles. There are three primary sizes of particles:

Sand - A sand particle is classified as smaller than gravel but larger than silt. Soils considered sandy are composed of more than 85% sand-sized particles.

Silt - Silt is a medium sized rock particle that is smaller than sand but larger than clay.

Clay - Clay soil is composed of the finest rock particles—less than .002 mm. Clay is the result of extreme rock weathering over time and then being deposited by bodies of water. If your soil is made up of over 50% clay particles it is considered heavy clay—and it will need improvement to be a viable source of nutrients for just about any type of plant life.

How do I know if I have heavy clay soil?

If you’re not sure what type of soil is in your yard, here are a few helpful indicators that you can use to identify your soil type.

If your soil is hard when it’s dry, and it doesn’t crumble easily when you squeeze the soil in your hand, then that can indicate a certain amount of clay particles in your soil. Larger soil particles do not have the same cohesion as the small clay particles, and therefore they tend to crumble more easily when squeezed with your bare hands.

Clay soil can feel and act like Playdoh when wet. You can squeeze and roll it into a ball and it will hold the shape. Sand and silt soils will not hold the shape.

If you are still not sure, don't worry about it. All types of gardening soils can benefit from humus and good soil management.

Why is clay soil bad for gardening?

A heavy clay soil is composed mostly of tiny clay particles. These particles tend to compact together. This compaction can cause quite a few problems for growing a healthy lawn or garden. Here are a few of the most common problems:

Poor Drainage - Because of the lack of air pockets, clay restricts water movement and drainage. Clay is commonly used to line the bottom of holding ponds for this reason. This water retention can drown plants and rot roots during times of rain. This poor drainage can also result in shallow moisture that is susceptible to evaporation.

Hinder Root Growth - In addition to poor drainage, this dense clay structure will also hinder root growth. It's not uncommon for plants growing in heavy clay soil to never grow outside of the hole they were originally planted in—stunting their growth both below the soil, and above. They become root bound just like plants growing in a container pot. Because the roots have a hard time penetrating the clay, plants will likely have shallow roots and need to be watered more frequently.

Hard to work – When clay soil is wet, it becomes a heavy, sloppy mess that sticks to tools and your shoes. When it dries out it becomes very hard and can sometimes feel like you are breaking up concrete when you try to work it. If that wasn't enough, when clay dries out, the fine soil particles can become airborne, creating dust that settles just about everywhere.

Amplifies any negative soil conditions - Clay soil is very good at storing soil elements, both good and bad. If your soil tends to be acidic, then the clay will amplify the problem. The same is true for areas with higher levels of alkalinity. Clay soil is also very good at collecting and storing destructive salts and salinity, which can literally destroy your plants.

Lacking in beneficial bacteria, microorganisms, and organic matter - Heavy clay soil is normally lacking in healthy soil bacteria, microorganisms, and worms—the things that help plants to grow and flourish.

Can clay soil be good for your gardening?

Believe it or not, clay has some redeeming qualities. To name a few:

Nutrient Retention - The denseness of clay soil makes it great for storing nutrients. Other soils such as sand will allow nutrients to leach away. Clay soil holds onto applied fertilizers and organic matter resulting in improved nutrition for plants.

Moisture Retention - Clay soil is dense and compact. This attribute makes it hold water better than a sandy soil. Water does not flow away as easily, and some plants can benefit from the moisture retention.

Less fertilizer - Clay soil is rich in a variety of minerals and nutrients that are beneficial to the growth of plants. Clay will often contain calcium, potassium, and iron in their natural forms. In addition to the natural mineral content, the soils ability to store elements can result in needing less fertilizer.

Physical Plant Support - Clay soil provides a density that enables plants to stand stronger. Other soil types, like sand that have a looser texture, do not provide the stability of clay and can allow plants to keel over and collapse due to lack of support.

With the proper care clay soils can be very productive.

What is the ideal type of soil for a healthy lawn or garden?

When people think of good growing soil, they think of dark Loam topsoil. The dark color is the result of a surplus decomposed plant matter called humus. This humus in turn feeds and stimulates the soil’s biology that keeps the soil texture loose and provides nutrients for new plant growth.

So, what is an Ideal soil makeup? Ideal soil will typically contain:

45% rock particles (Sand, Silt, Clay)

25% water

25% air

5% organic matter(humus)

Loam soil with this makeup provides a balance of water holding capacity, drainage, and fertility.

One word of caution to people that have dense clay soils. If you mix sand into dense clay you are likely to get something more like concrete than loam.The vital element lacking in poor clay soils is humus.

What is the very best way to improve your clay soil?

If we look at the ideal soil composition again, we'll remember that good soil is:

45% rock particles (40%Sand, 40%Silt, 20%Clay)

25% water

25% air

5% organic matter(humus)

Heavy, dense clay has small soil particles that compact together and decrease the amount of air, water and organic matter in the soil. To improve your clay soil, we must change the soil makeup. Changing the size of the soil particles is not really a practical option but you can stimulate a process called Flocculation.

“Flocculation is a technical term that basically means getting the small clay particles to group into larger aggregates that make room for air, water, worms and roots.”

You can improve this flocculation or soil structure both chemically and biologically by adding compost and amendments.

How does adding compost help break up and improve clay soil?

When you add compost to the soil the microbes and bacteria in the soil break the compost down into its basic building blocks, called humus.

Humus coats the soil particles lessening the cohesion and electrical charges that hold them together. Humus also feeds the bacteria and microorganisms; and it stimulates an increased population and activity of those good, helpful bacteria and microorganisms.

For healthy soil, we need to keep the soil at least 5% humus.

The actual restructuring of the soil is the result of a healthy population of bacteria and microorganisms. Healthy bacteria in the soil feed on the humus, and they are the active component that loosens the soil and creates air pockets for water and roots to move throughout.

Harsh conditions in the soil like herbicides and excess salts can hinder healthy biology, which slows down the composting of organic matter into humus.

How can you accelerate the humus building process of your clay soil?

Adding compost alone to break up your clay soil will help but it can take years to truly see a benefit, and it can be labor-intensive to till into the soil. Add to that any preexisting soil conditions that may interfere with the biological health of the soil like salinity or herbicides and it can be a multi-year process.

There are new soil amendments developed for the agricultural industry that can significantly accelerate this process.

RestoreClay is our biological concentrate that can help fix those conditions in your soil that can hinder the effective humus creation in the soil. It works on two fronts: first, RestoreClay will start to correct those unhealthy conditions in the soil; and second, it provides a boosting concentration of healthy bacteria and microorganisms that actively break down organic matter into humates—accelerating the composting process.

Liquid Humate is our natural soil amendment that is mined from areas that have ancient deposits of plant-based bio-matter that has been composted in the earth for thousands of years. Adding liquid humates will quickly add beneficial humus directly to your soil. Think of it as compost in a bottle. Because it is concentrated compost, it has a higher percentage of humus per volume than your traditional solid composts.

There are many additional benefits of adding RestoreClay and Liquid Humate to your lawn and garden.

This article is mainly about improving your clay soil. However, healthy soil is just a tool to grow a beautiful, healthy lawn and garden—or orchard, if you love fresh fruit that is.

In addition to being very beneficial to restoring your heavy clay soil to a life-giving healthy soil, RestoreClay and Liquid Humate will bring you impressive plant health benefits.

Get ready to enjoy the benefits of healthy soil, like these:

Deeper, more developed root systems.

Better fertilizer utilization and nutrient availability.

Improved soil moisture retention

Builds the natural immunity of the soil to help control damaging fungus and other soil issues.

A Healthier, greener and more vibrant lawn

Stronger, healthier, more beautiful flowers

Better tasting fruits and vegetables

And more.

How long does it take to amend clay soil?

While the time that it takes to improve clay soil will vary for just about every lawn and garden, there is a specific soil treatment path that works very well when followed. Your main time-determining factor will be the amount of humus that is already in your soil. An extreme, but common example, is someone that has just had a new house built, and the contractor has taken the clay soil from digging the foundation and leveled it over the yard (yes, they really do that). That soil will have less organic matter than regular top layer clay and will take longer to improve.

Think of improving heavy clay soil as an ongoing process. I find myself thinking about it like having a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and physical activity. If you stay active and eat a healthy diet you will make steady progress toward a healthy body. If you keep building the humus in the soil it will continue to improve into a productive growing soil.

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, let's try and set some realistic expectations for you…

Amending with compost, Liquid Humate or RestoreClay will all start the improvement process. The main difference is how quickly you can expect to see results.

Applying compost will add lots of potential humus to the soil. The downside is the time it takes for the microorganisms to convert it into humus. Most gardeners say to plan on a multi-year management program.

Liquid Humate is more readily available to the soil and contains more humus per volume than compost. It will start to work faster than compost but needs to be applied more often. Most soils will show improvement within the first year if 3-4 applications are applied.

RestoreClay is the catalyst to really jump-start the humus building process. It dramatically accelerates the composting process and helps correct any unhealthy conditions in the soil. When you add 2-3 applications of RestoreClay you will see significant improvements within a growing season.

Your ideal scenario will be to use all three: Apply compost, add Liquid Humate, and apply RestoreClay.

Compost supplies a long-term supply of humus, Liquid Humates will provide short-term availability and an instant boost to the humus making processes. RestoreClay keeps the humus building process stimulated and active.

If adding compost is not a viable option like on a lawn you can still build the quantity of humus in the soil by using Liquid Humates and RestoreClay. Both are applied with a hose end sprayer.

Keeping your clay healthy and productive will need to be an ongoing process. Humus is actively consumed in new plant growth and needs to be replaced on a continual basis. Having a supply of organic matter available even on the surface and a few applications of RestoreClay will ensure this process operates effectively.

Thoughts on working and turning the soil vs leaving it undisturbed.

There is a new trend in agriculture and gardening called “no-till”. It’s a re-discovered ancient trend that’s finding new popularity in the gardening world. It is how Mother Nature has always taken care of her gardens. No-till is basically growing crops or plants year to year without disturbing the soil through tilling.

There are pros, and cons, to both tilling, and not tilling your soil.

Tilling or working the soil will enable you to get a large quantity of organic matter deeper into the soil. If you are using an amendment like RestoreClay or Liquid Humate the worked earth will allow deeper penetration of the liquid amendments allowing them to work on deeper depths of the soil.

A healthy soil structure can be delicate and repeated turning of the soil can disrupt these processes. Managing your garden by “no till” will protect the improved soil structure. If you have an area that is planted like a lawn tilling the soil is not an option. One of the major benefits of using liquid amendments is that they can also be applied to areas that cannot be tilled.

If you have heavy clay soil a combination of both practices will likely give you the best results. The first season till in a few inches of compost to get a large quantity of organic matter into the soil. After you have the first applications of compost you should be able to continue the humus building processes by covering the soil with organic matter.

Additional clay soil management best practices...

In addition to building the quantity of organic matter and humus in the soil, here are a few addition “best practices” for managing your clay soil

Avoid working the soil when wet. This one is easy because wet clay can be a literal pain in the back trying to keep mud off your shoes and tools.

Avoid compaction. Because of the tendency of the clay soil particles to compact together too much foot or vehicle traffic can undo all your hard work.

Keep the soil covered with either mulch or plants. Covered soil will retain moisture better than bare soil. Moisture keeps the biological processes active. Organic matter on the surface will still provide food for the soil bacteria and keep the humus building processes active.

Minimize salt-based fertilizers and herbicides. Excess salts can cause the soil flocculation to collapse through dispersion. Excess herbicides can disrupt healthy biological processes. Clay soil that has access to a ready supply of humus should have an abundance of soil nutrients and need less fertilizer than a sandy soil.

Amending clay soil with Gypsum.

Gypsum is a common amendment for clay soil. Gypsum is the common name for calcium sulfate. Gypsum is sometimes used in clay soils high in salinity. The calcium can help to leach the salt from the soil and lessen the dispersion. Most clay soils have adequate calcium already present and the positive effects from gypsum can be short-lived. Improving the quantity of humus in the soil will give you better results long term.

A quick word about the quality of the water you use.

As water continues to get more expensive, many people are looking for less expensive water sources. Here in Utah, some neighborhoods have access to inexpensive canal water that can be used for lawns and gardens.

This may be a regional problem but because our canal water comes from a lake it has a higher level of salinity than water from an underground aquifer. This happens because the water in the reservoir or lake evaporates and leaves the salts behind. Over time these salinity levels can become a stressor for plants. Some plants can handle salinity better than others. If you start to see plant leaves start to brown around the edges it could be a sign of high levels of salinity.

Having salt in your soil will also cause dispersion, a process that can quickly cause the amended clay to turn back into a hard, dense soil.

Both RestoreClay and Liquid Humate, can tie up those salts, and help leach them from the soil, but if more salt is being added with every watering, then you will need to keep up with your soil maintenance practices.

In summary…

Remember, if you're not sure what type of soil is in your yard you can always reference the helpful indicators previously outlined in this article. If your soil is hard when it's dry, and it doesn't crumble easily when you squeeze the soil in your hand, then that can indicate a certain amount of clay particles in your soil.Clay soil tends to amplify your other negative soil conditions because clay soil is quite good at storing soil elements, even the bad elements. So, bear in mind that if your soil tends to be acidic, then having clay as part of your soil will amplify the problems you are facing when trying to grow that amazing lawn and garden.

If we look at the ideal soil composition again, then we remind ourselves that we want to keep our healthy soil at about 45% rock particles, 25% water, 25% air, and 5% organic matter—aka humus. Heavy, dense clay has small soil particles that compact together and decrease the amount of air, water and organic matter in the soil—ruining our chances at having the lawn and garden that we truly want: lush, full, green, vibrant, and full of beauty.

When adding compost to your soil it helps break to up and improve clay soil because the microbes and bacteria in the soil break the compost down into its basic building blocks, called humus. However, adding compost alone isn’t going to give your clay soil everything that it needs to become healthy life-giving soil.

Amending your soil isn’t going to happen overnight, or even with a single application of any amendment product. It’s going to take time, and the time that it takes to improve clay soil will vary among all lawns and gardens—but, there is a specific soil treatment path that works very well when followed. Ask us about it. We would love to show how it’s done.

But, how & where do you start your soil amendment process?

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/how-does-the-the-soils-ph-affect-your-lawn-or-garden2018-07-23T10:18:00-06:002019-03-21T15:54:58-06:00How does the the soils pH affect your lawn or garden?Jeffrey Orme

Do you know if your soil is acidic or alkaline?

Depending on what part of the Country you are from, your soil can be either acidic or alkaline. There are a number of factors that contribute to the pH levels in the soil, they include the type of rock that has eroded down to make the soil as well as the quality of the water and quantity and type of compost in the soil.

As a refresher, the soil pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Most soils normally range between 3 and 10, with 7 being neutral. Acidic soils have a pH below 7 and alkaline soils have a pH above 7.

How does the soil’s pH affect plant growth?

Soil pH is important because it affects the availability of plant nutrients. Which nutrients are affected is the result of the soil’s pH and can get complicated. Whether your soil is acidic or alkaline certain key nutrients can be tied up and unavailable to your lawn or garden.

Soil’s that are alkaline can also have an additional problem of dispersion which leads to a dense, compact soil. Heavy clay is notorious for dispersion and leads to poor aeration, water drainage, and root growth.

Here in Utah, a bigger problem than the alkalinity is the amount of salinity and soil salts that have been collected and stored in the clay soil. Salts disperse the clay and hinder good biological health as well as drying out the plants causing stress.

A neutral soil will provide the best growing environment for nearly all plants.

It is a common practice to add amendments to try and buffer or change the pH of the soil.

Limestone is a common amendment for acidic soils to help raise the pH. How effective lime is can depend on a few factors some of those include the amount of clay soil particles and the quantity of organic matter in the soil.

The pH of an alkaline soil can be reduced by adding an acidifying amendment or acidic organic matter. Sulfur is common because it oxidizes into sulfuric acid.

Either limestone or sulfur can benefit your soil depending on the pH levels and what you are trying to achieve, but these are not the only amendments that can help to neutralize your soil pH.

Whether your soil is acidic or alkaline it is out of balance and not providing the ideal nutrients to your lawn or garden. By focusing on the health of the soil we can start to correct this imbalance.

Biologically Healthy soil will naturally reach a Neutral pH.

At SoundSoil we focus on the biological health of the soil. Healthy soils grow healthy lawns and gardens.

Biological concentrates like RestoreClay or LawnMutt are formulated to correct unhealthy soil conditions. The pH of the soil is one of there conditions.

Healthy soil conditions will help to buffer and neutralize both acidic and alkaline soils.

RestoreClay is also uniquely formulated to help remove excess soil salts and salinity in alkaline soils.

Whether you are wanting to restore your heavy clay soil or prevent dog urine damage all our products will help to neutralize your soil's pH.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/trial-run-for-treating-necrotic-ring-spot-on-a-lawn2018-04-23T10:07:00-06:002019-04-12T08:45:45-06:00Trial run for treating Necrotic Ring Spot on a lawn.Jeffrey Orme

Does anyone have Necrotic Ring Spot on their lawn? This is a lawn and soil problem that has intrigued me for the past few years and I would like to explore it this Summer.

Necrotic Ring Spot is a fungus that is likely present in most soils. It seems to get worse in areas that are over-watered for extended periods of time (eg: months). Soil that has poor drainage will also be more likely to allow the fungus to spread.

In addition to overwatering there also needs to be a lack ofbeneficial microbial activity in the soil. Necrotic Ring Spot spreads when there are no competing microorganisms.

Fast release or inorganic nitrogen fertilizers may also allow the fungus to spread more quickly. Most of these fertilizers contain salts that deplete beneficial microbe populations as well as increase the amount of thatch. Fungus spores grow and propagate on the thatch layer. There are a few fungicides on the market for treating Necrotic Ring Spot that will also deplete the beneficial microbes and may cause additional problems.

My interest in studying this lawn problem is that on paper our products should be ideal to help treat and likely prevent this fungus from spreading.

Our products improve natural soil aeration and drainage.

Are concentrated with beneficial microbes.

Remove the build-up of salts and toxins in the soil that deplete beneficial microbes.

Compost and remove thatch.

I suspect that while overwatering may be a contributing factor the main issue is a lack of beneficial microbes in the soil. A biologically healthy soil should have a natural immunity to damaging funguses.

I have a neighbor that has been fighting Necrotic Ring Spot in her lawn for the past few years. This Spring I offered to treat her lawn as a test to see if our RestoreClay product will help her situation.

She uses a lawn care service that applies a lot of fast release fertilizer on a frequent basis. She also has a number of flower beds in her yard and waters frequently. I believe these conditions have depleted the beneficial microbes in her soil.

Initially, I have applied 2 ounces of RestoreClay on a 10 x 10 ft section of her lawn. This is 6x the normal application amount. This will build the beneficial microbe population quickly and will neutralize any harmful conditions in the soil from over fertilization. This should allow these spots to recover fairly quickly and give me an idea of the concentration needed to treat the rest of her lawn.

The long-term benefits will likely take until next Fall to realize. My goal is to help repair the damage from last Summer as well as prevent new damage from occurring. Any new damage will likely happen in the heat of the Summer. I believe the damage in this picture happened 9 months ago. I will post any new developments as they occur.

If you have Necrotic Ring Spot or other damaging funguses in your yard I would like to hear from you. It would be great to have others testing our products on their lawn and any fungus problems common in the area.

6 Week Update

We applied the 2nd application of RestoreClay to the Necrotic Ring Spot damaged lawn. For this application, we combined the RestoreClay with Liquid Humate. Liquid Humate adds organic matter that helps to stimulate the growth of the beneficial microbes found in the RestoreClay. This increase in beneficial microbes is important to compete against and lessen the population of the fungus spores.

The grass has started to cover the bare spots and should completely re-grow within the next few weeks.

The surrounding grass has greened up and looks very healthy. In most Necrotic Ring Spot cases the center of the spot is greener than the grass outside the ring. In this example, the grass in the center of the ring is only slightly greener than the surrounding grass. Overall the area treated with RestoreClay is greener and healthier than other areas of the law that were not treated. (Yellow spots in the picture are from light filtering through a tree.)

Fungus spores grow and spread on the thatch in the lawn. The active microbes contained in RestoreClay have composted the thatch layer and removed it as an area for the fungus spores to propagate.

The plan is to apply one more application in another 6 weeks. This should be sufficient to restore the health of the soil and the lawn and to enable them to resist future Necrotic Ring Spot Damage.

I did a quick Google search and found there are just under 12,000 different types of grasses in the world. These range from turf grasses to ornamental grasses, and even bamboo.

With all these varieties, it's common for new customers to be concerned about using our products on their specific type of grass.

We are very fond of Kentucky Blue Grass here in Utah. I'm sure there is a favorite variety in your area as well.

Even with all these varieties, there are a few general best practices for a healthy lawn. Most varieties of turf grass:

grow better in well-drained soil.

need to be fertilized regularly.

tend to accumulate thatch.

need adequate water, although some are more drought resistant than others.

By amending the biological health of your soil you can improve all these growth requirements.

Biologically healthy soil:

is naturally aerated for better water penetration and drainage.

converts fertilizer most efficiently ensuring balanced nutrients.

biologically decomposes thatch back into humus.

stores water more efficiently so you can water less.

If you have hard clay soil in your area, applying RestoreClay 2-3 times a year, in addition to your favorite fertilizer, will help your grass to grow thicker and healthier.

If you're a dog owner, certain species of grass are better at resisting dog urine damage than others. Grasses that have deep roots and spread by rhizome seem to be more naturally resistant to dog urine damage. Deeper roots are further away from the urine and better protected. Also using less nitrogen fertilizer in areas frequented by your dog will decrease the excess nitrogen in the soil.

Using LawnMutt every 6-8 weeks improves the soils ability to digest large quantities of urea nitrogen while stimulating deeper root growth.

In earlier articles, we have talked about the use of biological concentrate as a shortcut to building healthy soil. Why is that important?

You can't see healthy soil so let's talk about what you can see, the growth of your lawn and garden.

Healthy soil is the beginning of a happy and healthy lawn and garden. Many of the problems faced by homeowners are the result of soil that is lacking in some area.

Hard clay soils are typically lacking in air pockets as well as deep soil moisture and organic matter. Clay soils are normally rich in nutrients but the dense structure makes these nutrients inaccessible to plants.

Results: Lawn's lacking in health biology will be less productive and need more time, effort, fertilizer and water to get the results you want.

Let's compare this to a lawn growing in clay soil treated with a biological concentrate like RestoreClay 2-3 times a year.

Lawn growing in Healthy Productive Clay Soil will:

be lush, full and green.

have a "softer" soil texture with more air pockets for water and roots.

drain better and result in deeper moisture levels drawing the roots deeper into the soil.

store water more effectively and require less.

be more resistant to browning caused by heat stress.

provide a better balance of nutrients to the lawn and require less fertilizer.

actively compost thatch returning the nutrients back the to the lawn.

Results: By using a biological concentrate like RestoreClay we are continually improving the biological health of the soil with each application. With healthy soil a healthy lawn is easy.

RestoreClay will repair all areas of unproductive gardening soils. It is common for our customers to have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/2-important-considerations-for-laying-new-sod-where-the-previous-lawn-has-died2018-04-10T09:45:00-06:002019-03-21T16:00:05-06:00Laying new sod where previous lawn has died.Jeffrey Orme

There are two primary concerns when laying sod in an area where the previous lawn has died. These concerns are especially important for dog owners.

The first concern is determining what caused the previous lawn to die? If It was just neglected and there are not any underlying soil conditions laying new sod will be fine. But what about situations where the lawn died from an unhealthy soil from over applying fertilizer or from dog urine?

If a harmful soil situation is not addressed before laying the sod, it will become stressed and likely die off like the previous lawn. I have talked to a number of dog owners that have replaced the lawn in an area available to their dog 2-3 times.

Let's address the health of the soil before laying new sod. Health biology is the soil's immune system. Adding a biological concentrate like RestoreClay orLawnMutt will start to correct most unhealthy conditions in the soil. I encourage anyone that is thinking about laying sod to address the soil's health before investing time and money.

Use the existing lawn as a gauge for the health of the soil. When you see the existing lawn start to look green and healthy it should be safe to lay new sod. You may find that by improving the soil's health, the existing lawn will recover and not need to the replaced.

Just a quick side note:Nitrogen overdose results in an overall browning of the lawn. This happens more often than you may think. It may look like the lawn needs more Nitrogen, but adding more will likely cause the lawn to completely crash.

Please contact me if you have question or concerns about your soil. I can be reached by replying to this email.

The second concern is for dog owners. New sod is just a pretty green carpet on top of the soil for the first few months. The short roots are very susceptible to dog urine damage and need time to get established.

Will LawnMutt protect new sod from dog urine damage?

LawnMutt is very effective at improving the soil ability to metabolize and filter the harmful effects of dog urine from damaging your lawn. But these processes happen in the soil and until the sod is successfully rooted it will likely be damaged by dog urine. The best option for dog owners that want new sod is to keep your dog off the newly laid sod.

That disclaimer aside, LawnMuttis one of the best soil amendments available to help new sod deeply root itself in the soil where it will be protected from urine damage.Applying a few applications of LawnMutt and giving your sod a few months to get established will pay big dividends in the long term.

LawnMutt is a long-term management tool. It does not change the grass or the urine but instead changes the soil.

Tip for new sod: If your dog does urinate on the new sod the best option is to grab the hose and wash the urine off the sod roots and down into the soil.

If you think new sod is in your future and you have challenging soil conditions I am confident we can help.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/laying-sod-on-hard-clay-soil2018-03-20T18:45:00-06:002019-03-21T16:02:13-06:00Laying sod on hard clay soilJeffrey Orme
During the Spring and Summer months, we get a lot of questions about laying sod. Sod is a big investment and people are concerned that they get a beautiful lawn in return.

Based on the questions I get from customers, there are two common situations that lead someone to want to put down sod.

1. The home is a new construction.2. The previous lawn died and needs to be replaced.

If you have a new home in an area that has hard clay soil you may feel like you are trying to get grass to grow on concrete or peanut butter depending on moister of the soil.

When you build a home the contractor will dig a hole for the foundation and pile up the soil. When the home is finished they level out the piles of dirt for the yard. Any "topsoil" that mixes with the "bottom" soil from the foundation will likely leave you with questionable soil for your yard. The primary difference between healthy, fertile topsoil and soil from 6-10 feet down a hole is not the dirt but the amount of organic matter or humus in the soil.

Humus is compost broken down to its base components. Ideally, you want to have at least 5% humus in the soil. This humus feeds the living biological organisms in the soil that in-turn release nutrients and soften the structure of the clay soil. Humus is what gives the fertile soil the dark color.

For an area the size of a lawn, mixing in compost can be an overwhelming task. I have even talked with some homeowners that were seriously considering removing the top layer of clay soil and replacing it with good "topsoil".

The process of building up the quantity of humus in the soil by adding compost can take years in a garden where the soil is accessible. For the soil under sod, working compost into the soil is not really an option.

For an area like a lawn, a liquid concentrate of humus can make amending the clay soil much easier and faster.

If you have laid or are planning to lay sod this spring and you have clay soil, 2-3 applications of RestoreClay will make a big difference. Apply RestoreClay either directly to the bare clay soil, or to the sod after being laid. Plan on a second application in 6-8 weeks and a third 6-8 weeks after that. Once the sod is established 1-2 applications a year will help keep it green and healthy.

RestoreClay is a concentration of humus, soil biology, and organic acids. It is uniquely formulated to amend and transform hard clay soil into the productive growing soil you want. When applied to new sod it will start to soften the clay for better water penetration and deeper root growth. Soil biology will release the nutrients trapped in the clay and make them available to the sod.

A good way to measure the soils transformation is with a wire test. Take a straight piece of wire and insert into the soil until it stops. Measure the penetration then repeat every few weeks. The wire is a good indicator as to how deep the roots are able to penetrate.

At SoundSoil we find the best Biological Soil Amendments available in the agricultural world and are making them available to homeowners.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/what-is-the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-minimize-dog-urine-damage-to-your-lawn2018-02-28T08:29:00-07:002019-03-21T16:03:01-06:00What is the most important thing you can do to minimize dog urine damage to your lawn?Jeffrey Orme
And no, it's not applying our LawnMutt treatment. Although that will make a significant difference.

The best and most effective thing you can do is to lessen the amount of Nitrogen fertilizer you apply to areas visited by your dog. Dog urine contains urea or ammonia nitrogen. The damage to the lawn is actually the result of a nitrogen overdose.

If you deal with dog urine damage, make a mental note this year to evaluate how much worse the urine spots get a few weeks after applying nitrogen fertilizer.

To decrease the dog urine damage to your lawn this summer, lessen the amount of nitrogen fertilizer added to the areas used by your dog. This will help to manage the amount of nitrogen being force-fed to your lawn.

Long-term prevention of dog urine damage to your lawn is a two-part process. In addition to managing the amount of nitrogen, we need to increase the ability of the soil to metabolize and digest the nitrogen.

This is where our LawnMutt product can make a significant difference. It contains a concentration of "Healthy Bacteria" that will greatly improve the soils ability to digest and process the urea/ammonia nitrogen contained in dog urine.

Ammonia and nitrogen can be damaging to lawns and needs to be broken down into nitrate nitrogen, which is easier for the lawn to consume. This is a biological process and will grow over time under suitable soil conditions. LawnMutt is formulated to build and improve this biological process.

If you have ever kept a fish aquarium you may be familiar with the nitrogen cycle. The biological processes in the soil are acting like the filter on an aquarium and by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria in the soil it can "filter" dog urine without damaging the lawn.

If you manage the quantity of nitrogen fertilizer and apply LawnMutt you can have a happy, healthy dog and a beautiful, healthy lawn.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/can-you-improve-your-soils-biology-without-biological-amendments2018-02-02T08:14:00-07:002019-03-21T16:04:57-06:00Can you improve your soil's biology without biological amendments?Jeffrey OrmeCan you improve your soil without the cost and time of using a biological concentrate like RestoreClay?

The answer is yes you can. Healthy bacteria is present in nearly all soils. Under the right conditions, and given enough time, the soil will find a healthy biological balance without adding an amendment.

The challenge becomes - the quickest and best way to create these conditions.

An ideal soil composition will look something like this:

45% Eroded rock particles. (sand, silt or clay)

25% Air

25% Water

5% Organic plant matter (humus)

If a lawn or garden is struggling, the soil is likely different than the ratio listed above. Especially with clay soils, it can be lacking in air and organic matter.

With most soils adding compost will start the improvement process. Adding compost gives the soil microbes food, adds nutrients, and helps to create air spaces.

Adding compost takes time and effort and there are areas like a lawn or an established garden where adding compost is not really an option. Additionally, soils may have conditions like high salinity or soil compaction that can inhibit good biological growth.

Using a Biological Concentrate like RestoreClay just a few times year will significantly accelerate the repair process even in hard to amend areas like a lawn or an established garden.

RestoreClay adds a high concentration of healthy, beneficial soil biology as well as concentrated humus. Humus being the basic healthy soil building blocks. Additionally, RestoreClay is unique in that it can also significantly improve poor soil conditions like salt and compaction.

Think of biological soil concentrates like RestoreClay as a shortcut to building health soil fast!

If you do enjoy the activity of working in the soil, biological soil amendments will just amplify the results from your efforts.

At SoundSoil we find the best Biological Soil Amendments available in the agricultural world and make them available to homeowners.]]>
https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/how-do-biological-soil-amendments-differ-from-fertilizer-and-should-they-be-used-together2018-02-02T08:11:00-07:002019-03-21T16:03:50-06:00How do biological soil amendments differ from fertilizer and should they be used together?Jeffrey OrmeUsing a biological concentrate every time you apply your favorite fertilizer will ensure you deliver the maximum benefit to your lawn and garden.

Just like your favorite meal has to be digested to provide your body energy, fertilizer has to be "digested" by the soil to offer health and energy to your lawn and garden.

This "digestion" is a biological process completed by the micro organisms present in the soil. By adding a biological concentrate like RestoreClay or LawnMutt you greatly improve this process.

Biologically healthy soil will grow healthier, stronger plants because more of the nutrients provided by the fertilizer will be delivered to the plant instead of leaching into the ground water.

At SoundSoil we find the best Biological Soil Amendments available in the agricultural world and are making them available to homeowners]]>
https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/why-soil-biology-reminds-me-of-motor-oil2018-01-25T08:15:00-07:002019-03-21T16:07:25-06:00Why soil biology reminds me of motor oil.Jeffrey Orme
A few days ago I was sitting in the lobby of an oil change facility when it occurred to me that the function of oil in a car's engine is similar to the biology in soil.

I'm asked on a regular basis, “What does your product do?”. I am always looking for an easy analogy to help people understand the role soil health plays in the growth of their lawn and garden.

I came up with this analogy, let me know what you think.

In a car you have the engine, you add gas to the car to give the engine energy. Oil keeps the engine functioning smoothly. If an engine that is running poorly, adding more gas may keep it running but it will be inefficient. Without proper oil addition and changes, the car is not going to run very long and eventually seize up.

In comparison, you add fertilizer to to your lawn and garden to give them nutrients and energy. The soil's biology converts that potential energy into plant growth. By adding fertilizer to soil lacking in healthy biology you will get some growth, but it will take a lot more fertilizer.

At SoundSoil we find the best Biological Soil Amendments available in the agricultural world and are making them available to homeowners. We are keeping your soil lubricated for long life.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/what-is-clay-soil2017-08-15T21:07:00-06:002019-03-21T16:08:13-06:00What is clay soil?Jeffrey Orme
We talked about improving your clay soil, but it may be beneficial to define what makes up clay soil.
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All soil is made up of eroded rock particles. The difference in the size of the rock particles defines the type of soil. Sand particles are the largest, silt are medium sized, and the smallest are clay particles.

Clay Soil has a high ratio of small clay particles compared to the number of sand or silt particles. The small size of these particles can result in a very dense soil that inhibits root development and water drainage. If you have hard dirt clods that will not easily crumble in your hands you likely have a significant amount of clay in your soil.

These clods were treated with RestoreClay shortly after this picture was taken. Make sure you visit the bottom of this article to see the results.

Clay soil when dried-out and ground-down will become a fine powder.

When you add water back to the dried clay powder you get a putty (think pottery clay).

If you can take the soil from your yard and form it onto a ball, congratulations you have Clay Soil. Sandy and silty soils will not hold the shape.

RestoreClay by SoundSoil is formulated to help soften the bonds in hard clay soil.

These are the three clods from the picture above after 24 hours.

Find out why plants and lawns have a difficult time growing in Clay Soil in our next article.

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/improve-your-clay-soil2017-06-28T10:53:00-06:002019-03-21T15:53:39-06:00Would you like to Improve your Clay Soil? Is your lawn or garden struggling to thrive?Jeffrey Orme

What is clay soil?

Is your lawn or garden struggling? You might want to check for Clay Soil. If the soil in your yard is hard when dry, and sticky when wet, your soil is likely clay. All soils are composed of eroded rock. The difference between sandy soils and clay soils are the size of soil particles. Clay has small soil particles that have a tendency to compact. The more compacted the clay becomes the more it restricts water movement and root development.

What does healthy topsoil have that is missing from hard clay soil?

When people think of good growing soil, they think of dark topsoil. The dark soil color is a result of surplus decomposed plant matter called humus. This humus in turn feeds and stimulates the soil’s biology. The humus and soil biology work together to provide nutrients for new plant growth and help to restructure the soil and reverse clay soil compaction.

RestoreClay by SoundSoil is formulated to add humus and build soil biology. These basic components are essential for healthy soil. RestoreClay, when used 2-3 times a year, will loosen the clay soil structure, which improves water movement and root growth. Improving the quantity of humus and soil biology will also dramatically improve the healthy growth of your lawn and garden.

RestoreClay is an easy to apply liquid concentrate that is applied with a hose end sprayer. When used a few times a year, you can continually improve your clay soil with each application.

For more tips and tricks to improving your clay soil via different products such as gypsum, Liquid Humate and more, visit our News page for additional articles and sign up for our Newsletter.

A frequent question from customers we receive is: “Can I fertilize my lawn while using LawnMutt?”

First, the fertilizer you choose will make a tremendous difference. If you are working with a high-nitrogen ratio fertilizer, you will likely increase the number of dog urine spot, even while using LawnMutt. If after applying your fertilizer you notice the urine spots are getting worse that is an indication that too much nitrogen was applied, just plan on using less fertilizer on your next application.

Dog urine is a concentrated nitrogen fertilizer applied to the lawn a few times a day. LawnMutt is formulated to break down these fertilizers, giving lawns an easier way to recover and grow. So yes, LawnMutt can be used with fertilizers, but with the correct fertilizer.

Using correct fertilizer.

Choosing the right fertilizer will help make all the difference. Most lawn fertilizers contain large amounts of nitrogen. We recommend using a fertilizer with a balanced mix of nutrients (10-10-10 for example). Having a lower nitrogen rating will have less stress on the nitrogen cycle and allow your lawn to process all the excess urea from dog urine.]]>
https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/prevent-dog-urine-from-killing-your-grass2017-01-24T16:11:00-07:002019-03-21T16:00:55-06:00Prevent dog urine from killing your grass.Jeffrey Orme

Dogs cause our lawns to die in spots because they repeatedly urinate in the same areas. Their urine contains urea, which is 46% nitrogen, as well as salt. The concentration of excess nitrogen not only kills the grass but prevents new grass from growing. The damage caused by dog urine is similar to spilling a handful of fertilizer that “burns” your lawn.

There are a few things you can do today to help minimize the amount of nitrogen that is being fed to your lawn:

Pick up and remove the stools before they can biodegrade and add to the nitrogen from the urine.

Water the lawn after the dog has urinated to dilute the urine.

Bag your lawn clippings so they will not biodegrade and add nitrogen back into the soil.

Select a lawn fertilizer with less nitrogen to account for the nitrogen in the urine.

These suggestions are a good start to minimizing the damage but are probably not enough for most dog owners.

To prevent dog urine from killing your lawn the soil needs to be healthy and active. Healthy soil is rich in beneficial bacteria that breaks down old plant matter, minerals, and fertilizer (including dog urine), so they can be used by the lawn for growth and energy. This biological process is called the Nitrogen Cycle. A number of environmental factors, like excess dog urine and fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, excess salts, or dry conditions can diminish this biological process.

Here’s the truth behind some of the the biggest myths and urban legends about those frustrating dog urine spots.

If you own a home and a dog, chances are you’ve struggled to keep up your curb appeal and wondered if you’ll ever have the lush, green lawn you dream of. And if you’ve struggled with those awful pee spots, you know there is enough conflicting information about them on the Internet to make anyone throw their hands up in defeat. How do you sort the fact from fiction so that you can treat the problem and go back to enjoying your dog and a beautiful lawn? We’ve compiled a list of common myths to unpack for you below. Have you heard any of these?

Myth #1: Only female dogs cause urine spots.

Nope, female urine is not any worse than male urine, so your female furry friend is off the hook. Well, for the most part. Those ugly, yellow spots in your lawn are caused by the nitrogen and salts in your dog’s urine, and the gender of the dog has no impact on the concentration of these elements. However, dogs who squat or frequently go in the same spot will deposit a higher concentration of nitrogen and salts – and females are often squatters – so you may notice the dead spots develop more quickly, but this is due to the amount of urine deposited, not the type of urine.

Food additives aren’t going to help either. We adore our pets, and the last thing we want to do is negatively impact their health, but some frustrated homeowners will fall prey to the myth that they need to reduce urine alkalinity through supplements. First, remember that urine spots are due to nitrogen and salts, not the acidity of the dog’s urine. Second, such supplements can hurt your dog. Heed this warning from the Colorado State University Extension Service: “Products advertised to ‘naturally’ reduce urine alkalinity (including the amino acid, dl methionine, also known as methioform) may cause urinary system problems and can affect calcium deposition in growing bones of younger dogs. The addition of baking soda, potassium citrate and other salts are likewise not recommended as curatives for dog spots.” You should, however, always make sure you are providing your dog a balanced diet with plenty of water.

Myth #3: You should treat pee spots with extra fertilizer.

It may seem counter intuitive, but adding more fertilizer to a lawn damaged by dog urine is often more harmful than it is helpful. Dog urine and nitrogen fertilizer don’t play well together. Remember, the biggest culprit here is the nitrogen in the urine. Your dog is, in essence, adding nitrogen fertilizer to your lawn multiple times a day. When you add commercial fertilizers, you are increasing the nitrogen and the pee spots just get worse. When treating urine spots, you should reduce or temporarily stop treating your lawn with fertilizer – at least in the areas you are treating.

Myth #4: There is nothing you can do to prevent dog urine damage to your lawn.

If you’ve read this far, you might be feeling like there’s nothing you can do. But don’t be discouraged. Dog urine spots are treatable. The battle is won not by treating the dog, and not by treating the grass, but by treating the soil. To handle the increased nutrients added to the lawn through dog urine, you’ll need to improve the biological health of the soil so there is enough microbial activity to metabolize the nitrogen and excess salts in dog urine. Improving the health of the soil is the only sustainable long-term solution.

Heard any other myths not addressed here? Drop us an email or give us a call, and we’ll see if we can find the answer for you. Our phone number is (801) 971-0589 or email me at Jeff@soundsoil.com

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https://www.soundsoil.com/blogs/news/a-dog-owner-s-guide-to-laying-new-sod2016-12-27T12:30:00-07:002019-05-03T14:39:29-06:00A Dog Owner’s Guide to Laying New SodJeffrey OrmeWould you like to learn how to protect your new sod from dog urine damage and have a lush, green lawn for years to come?

Sod is a great way to establish a lawn. In just a few hours you can have a beautiful lawn covering what previously was bare soil. It is a great way to improve the look and usability of your yard and avoid months of waiting for grass seed to take root.

Of course, there are downsides as well. The luxury of having a beautiful lawn overnight comes at a steep cost. In 2016, the average homeowner spent more than $1,700 on new sod, according to HomeAdvisor.com. If you’re a dog owner, laying new sod can bring some unforeseen complications, and you’ll need to take extra steps to protect your investment.

Dog urine and new sod

Whether you are laying sod on an area that has never had grass before or you’re replacing grass that has struggled or died because of dog urine damage, you’ll have to take precautions. The roots of new sod are short, near the surface, and highly susceptible to urine damage—so even in the best of conditions, sod needs extra care for a few months. The condition of your soil is the number one indicator of whether or not your new sod will flourish. Urine damage on grass is caused by poor biological activity in the soil, making it unable to break down the nitrogen and salts that are present in dog urine.

How dog urine affects sod laid on new soil.

Not all soils are the same. If you install new sod and the entire lawn struggles, it may be a soil issue. Soils that lack sufficient probiotic activity cannot support plant growth well. Dog urine damage is likely to be worse and take longer to fix in these soils. Even sod that is laid on new soil that is in good condition is almost certain to be damaged by dog urine if it is exposed to it. The roots of new sod are short, near the surface and highly susceptible to urine damage. Until the roots become well established into the depth of the soil with enough probiotic activity surrounding them, the new sod is highly susceptible to urine damage. This can take a few months to achieve.

How dog urine affects sod laid on soil that previously had a lawn.

Another problem that can arise with new sod has to do with the history of the underlying soil. If a yard has supported a dog in the past, nitrogen and other toxins may be built up in the soil. In a lot of instances, new sod is needed because the existing lawn has died. For situations like this, the new sod may look healthy for a month or two and then slowly begin to deteriorate. The downturn in the health of the lawn is a result of the roots beginning to grow into the unhealthy soil. You have to improve the overall health of your lawn and soil before addressing the urine spots.

Divide and Conquer

In both of these situations, the best course of action is to restrict your dog’s access to the newly laid sod and apply LawnMutt, an all-natural soil amendment that increases the biological activity in your soil, for a few months to help establish the roots and improve the health of the soil. Your soil will be able to break down toxins such as your dog’s urine and support a beautiful, lush lawn. You can apply LawnMutt directly to your new sod right from the beginning. For yards that may have a buildup of urine in the soil, applying LawnMutt before the sod is laid will help to start the detoxification process and give the new sod a better chance to grow.

We recommend that you divide your lawn into two sections. Lay sod in one section and block it off so your dog stays off of it. Keep the dog off that section until the sod gets established. This will probably be a couple of months or so. Then lay sod on the other section and keep the dog off of it while it gets established. Though it is still going to take several months, the divide and conquer method can help establish each section a little quicker.